Gotta Make Some Dough
What Julia was to Julie, so Judith is to Jill. I have found a cookbook that has changed my world. I first came across 200 Fast & Easy Artisan Breads by Judith Fertig in the library, checked it out and stared at it for two weeks until it was time to return the book. Baking bread was just too scary for me. I then decided to commit and bought the book. Baking bread has always seemed like an insurmountable task ever since I tried to bake a challah (many times) and gave up because I just couldn’t get it right. This book starts with the basics and is truly easy and quick. Key, when it comes to having fresh hot bread on the table for dinner. It literally takes minutes to make the basic recipe of 6 1/2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons of bread machine yeast, 1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt and 3 cups of 100 degree water. After 40 lashes with a wooden spoon you let the dough rise for 2 hours covered in plastic wrap. Then you can bake or store in the fridge for nine days! I love the simplicity of it all – no bread machine required! So far I have baked my way through part one of the book, making theBaby Boule (pictured above), a Baguette, a Batard, Rolls, Pizza Blanca. I am part way thru Part 2 and have made Breadsticks and a larger Boule. I even went to town with some left over sauteed eggplant, onions and peppers; I added them to the center of some rolled out dough, added shredded mozzarella cheese and folded into calzone, which in Italian means “pocket sandwich.” My husband loved it for lunch! I highly recommend this bread baking book!
Check out Judith baking some bread in the video below!
Cheers!
Jill
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-Fast-and-Easy-Artisan-Breads-196644912